Ex-LBPD officer takes legal action against, alleging she was harassed by supervisor, fired for grumbling

A previous Long Beach law enforcement officer alleges she was targeted and wrongfully fired in 2022 after reporting that a manager was sexually harassing her, according to a suit submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court this month.
In the lawsuit, previous Officer Alma Magana implicates former Sgt. Jason Lehman of making undesirable sexual advances while they were both used with the Long Beach Police Department. She alleges he then struck back versus her with further harassment after she rejected him.

Lehman did not respond when called by the Long Beach Post Friday morning. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lehman left the LBPD in 2022 and now operates at Lexipol, which supplies training and consulting services to law enforcement agencies. He is likewise the creator of the not-for-profit, Why 'd You Stop Me?, which trains officers to better comprehend neighborhood problems while trying to decrease violence in between cops and the public.
The earliest instance of the supposed unwanted sexual advances began sometime in 2020, according to the suit, which was filed on Nov. 3.
According to her complaint, Magana began her pursuit of a career in law enforcement 10 years previously when she joined the cops explorer program. When she ended up being an officer at the LBPD, Lehman, a sergeant at the time, was often her supervisor, according to the suit.
Throughout their interactions, Magana declares, Lehman would continuously inquire about her dating life and attempted to interact with her beyond work to the level that she needed to obstruct him on all of her social media.
On other events, Lehman made Magana fulfill him at random places where he 'd try to "discuss private and improper subjects with her," according to the suit.

When she 'd reject him, Lehman would make comments about her work performance and inform her to "step it up" or "be more proactive," according to the lawsuit. He 'd then also harass the male she was dating, the claim alleges.
Eventually, Magana complained about Lehman's behavior to Lt. Robert Titus and said how it made her "hate going to work," according to the claim.
Instead of check out the grievance against Lehman, the claim alleges, the LBPD took no action versus him. Rather, it ended up being understood around the department that Magana had told on Lehman and quickly discovered herself reassigned to traffic responsibility, which is considered a less desirable project within the LBPD, according to the suit.
Just over a week after filing her grievance versus Lehman, Magana was out with her sweetheart and another male when she was drugged, according to the claim. Later that night, she entered into an argument with her sweetheart and was taken to the Orange County Sheriff's Department reservation facility, the lawsuit alleges.
This was among 2 circumstances where Magana had interactions with authorities while off-duty, according to the lawsuit, which declares the LBPD used those instances as an excuse to introduce an investigation into her after she complained about Lehman.

" Both internal affairs examinations against plaintiff were retaliatory and pretextual" according to the suit. "LBPD advised the Plaintiff's employment be dismissed due to the fact that of the 2 internal affairs cases one of which was not sustained."
As an outcome of Lehman's behavior, Magana suffered extended pain and suffering, stress and anxiety, humiliation, and loss of self-esteem, and her incomes, according to the suit. She is now seeking "justice and vindication," according to the lawsuit.
The LBPD did not right away respond to questions from the Long Beach Post. The City Attorney's office, which will handle the suit because the harassment and retaliation is alleged to have actually happened while Lehman was employed with the LBPD, decreased to discuss the allegations since it is active litigation.